Nov 13, 2014

Thursday News: The Bookseller’s “digital census;” Maurice Sendak estate sued; discussing...

Janet Publishing News auctions, book discussion, digital publishing, Ebooks, genre criticism, History, Libraries, online resources, rare books, Self-publishing, World War I

Digital Census: 10 key findings – This “census” was apparently the result of surveying 1000 people. Which people and where? The article does not say. Apparently, though, if you’re a FutureBook delegate, you’ll get a copy of the original 25-page… more

Nov 4, 2014

Are “safe” books really what we want?

Janet Letters of Opinion diversity, genre criticism, labels, Romance

Last week, in the comments to Kris’s wonderful post about abelist language and the stigmatization of mental health issues, several commenters raised questions about what words can and cannot be used ‘safely,’ and noted the complexity of words that have… more

Sep 23, 2014

Romance and the ‘Meaning of Life’

Janet Letters of Opinion belief system, Contemporary romance, faith, genre criticism, historical romance, inspirational romance, philosophy, religion

In response to last week’s guest post by Zoe Brouthers on feminine sacrifice in Romance, author Moriah Jovan wrote a very thoughtful comment on the role that faith plays in so many people’s lives, despite its marginalization in mainstream Romance not… more

Jun 17, 2014

What Makes A Romance Novel Endure?

Janet Letters of Opinion canon, classic fiction, classic Romance, genre criticism

Specifically, what makes a Romance novel endure? Think about the hundreds of Romance novels published each month – in a multitude of subgenres and formats – and the thousands that adds up to each year. Where do all these books… more

May 20, 2014

Uses and Abuses of Girls

Janet Letters of Opinion fandom, Fantasy, gender, genre criticism, patriarchy, sexism, sexual harassment, vloggers

We all know that the teens represent one of the most powerful – if not the most powerful – consumer markets. Teen girls, especially, are the unremitting focus of advertising, in part, perhaps, because of their vulnerability to social messaging…. more

Mar 11, 2014

What Does it Mean to Read for Comfort?

Janet Letters of Opinion catharsis, comfort reading, genre criticism

After my post on the HEA and HFN, I got to thinking about “comfort reading.” We talk a lot about comfort reading in Romance, even though I suspect we don’t share a universal definition for the term. For example, a… more

Romance, Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult, Book reviews, industry news, and commentary from a reader's point of view

genre criticism